LaVar Ball pulling sons early from Lithuania

LaVar Ball has pulled sons LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball off of their Lithuanian professional team, BC Vytautas, with two games remaining in the regular season and will leave the country next week.

According to Lithuanian reporter Donatas Urbonas, the Balls will be leaving in part because of a dispute between head coach Virginijus Seskus and LaVar Ball, who is upset with the lack of playing time given to LaMelo. LiAngelo recently suffered an ankle injury and would not be playing in the final two games anyway.

“We’re not going to waste our time no more,” LaVar Ball told Urbonas, adding that LiAngelo will be playing it safe with his health as preparation for the NBA draft approaches.

The elder Ball also told Urbonas that he was happy with the general experience in Lithuania, but said, “I just didn’t get along with the coach.”

When asked if LaMelo, who will not be eligible for the NBA draft until 2020, will return to play in Lithuania in the future, LaVar Ball responded, “We’ll see. He is still so young.” However, he made it clear that his son won’t return to the same team.

“Coach ruined everything and he’ll have to pay the price that Melo is not coming back,” he said, per Urbonas.

With two games remaining, BC Vytautas (8-24) sits last in the Lithuanian Basketball League and faces relegation to a lower-tiered league.

LiAngelo, 19, averaged 12.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in 21.7 minutes per game in 14 appearances (six starts) while shooting 42.5 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from 3-point range. He declared for the 2018 NBA Draft in March but is not expected to be drafted. LaVar Ball has voiced his intention to have LiAngelo join his older brother, Lonzo Ball, on the Los Angeles Lakers as an undrafted free agent.

LaMelo, 16, appeared in just eight games (one start) for Vytautas, averaging 6.5 points, 2.4 assists and 1.1 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per game while shooting 26.8 percent from the field and 25 percent from deep.